Screening guidelines-- Everyone over age 45 every three years.-- Get screened earlier if you are overweight or your body mass index (BMI) is greater than 25 AND you have one or more of the following risk factors:-- Family history of diabetes.-- High blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease.-- You had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy).

Five years ago, the 60-year-old senior lecturer in mechanical and aerospace engineering was pre-diabetic. He started working out and followed a low-carb diet, and now his blood sugar -- the measure of diabetes -- is back to normal.

Abbitt measured his blood sugar Tuesday at a free screening event at the University of Florida's Reitz Union. The event began a week of diabetes awareness events. Wednesday is World Diabetes Day, and this year marks the fourth year UF has held diabetes awareness week.

"Our overall goal is to increase awareness about diabetes for the citizens of Gainesville, Alachua County and surrounding areas because the burden of diabetes is increasing," said Dr. Desmond Schatz, UF professor and chair of pediatrics and the medical director of UF's Diabetes Center of Excellence.

Schatz said about 26 million people in the U.S. have Type 2 diabetes, and 79 million are at risk for pre-diabetes. The disease is more prevalent in African Americans and Hispanics: Some 11-12 percent have it, compared to 7 percent of whites.

People with Type 1 diabetes do not produce any insulin, whereas those with Type 2 diabetes have developed a resistance to insulin, usually because they are overweight. Both conditions produce an abundance of glucose, or sugar, in the blood.

In the early '90s, 5-6 million people had the disease.

"The burgeoning epidemic of obesity and a sedentary lifestyle have led to this epidemic," Schatz said.

"Too many calories and not enough exercise," added Kathryn A. Parker, the program manager for diabetes education and nutrition therapy at UF&Shands. The pancreas produces insulin, a hormone, to regulate the body's blood-sugar level. "Your pancreas has only so much insulin that it will produce. If you take in too many calories, the body wears out its 'pitching machine,'" said Parker, who compares the body's production of insulin to a baseball pitcher's capacity to pitch over a lifetime. The pitcher has to take periodic breaks just like the pancreas, Parker said.

But people who have grown up "super-sizing" are now being diagnosed with diabetes. "We're beginning to see the results of childhood obesity," Parker said. "This isn't an endocrine problem. It's a lifestyle problem."

At the screening, Parker displayed blood vials filled with sugar to show how much sugar is in a 12-ounce soda. While the tactic has worked to discourage people from certain dietary choices, Parker puts more emphasis on exercise for diabetes prevention.

"People who exercise use their insulin very efficiently," Parker said. "Exercise is the elixir. You don't have to run a marathon. Just get up and move a little more than you did yesterday."

Jenna Bilodeau, 19, a UF pre-med student, stopped by to get screened because she was diagnosed six months ago with hypoglycemia, a condition in which blood-sugar levels are too low. Bilodeau's blood sugar was normal Tuesday.

"I just ate a Snickers, so that probably helps," Bilodeau said, adding that diabetes runs in her family, so she pays even more attention to what she eats. "I eat a lot of couscous, veggies, apples and peanut butter."

While Type 2 diabetes is for the most part a preventable condition with lifestyle modification, Type 1 runs in families and is harder to prevent. Schatz said that if you have a relative with Type 1 diabetes, you have a 15-fold increase of getting it, compared with the general population. Type 1 diabetes also is increasing by about 3 percent per year in children under age 10, Schatz said. UF researchers are at the forefront of trying to understand risk assessment and prevention of Type 1 diabetes and will present some of their recent findings Friday morning at the Health Professions/Nursing/Pharmacy Complex.

UF will host three more screening events this week. Parker said she hopes to top the number of people -- 250 -- who got screened last year. She said it's particularly important to get the people who normally walk away.

"It's only a drop of blood and five seconds," she said, adding that people also can take a self-assessment card and consult their doctor if they are at high risk of diabetes.

To make diabetes awareness week more fun, organizers are hosting a hula hoop competition at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

"The symbol of diabetes awareness is a circle, and that's a hula hoop," Parker said. "It's exercise, and people need exercise."

Organizers also will light UF's Century Tower blue at dusk. City Hall, all fire stations and some area churches also will turn on a blue light to commemorate the day.

<p>John Abbitt is exactly the kind of person diabetes screening programs like to see.</p><p>Five years ago, the 60-year-old senior lecturer in mechanical and aerospace engineering was pre-diabetic. He started working out and followed a low-carb diet, and now his blood sugar -- the measure of diabetes -- is back to normal.</p><p>Abbitt measured his blood sugar Tuesday at a free screening event at the University of Florida's Reitz Union. The event began a week of diabetes awareness events. Wednesday is World Diabetes Day, and this year marks the fourth year UF has held diabetes awareness week.</p><p>"Our overall goal is to increase awareness about diabetes for the citizens of Gainesville, Alachua County and surrounding areas because the burden of diabetes is increasing," said Dr. Desmond Schatz, UF professor and chair of pediatrics and the medical director of UF's Diabetes Center of Excellence.</p><p>Schatz said about 26 million people in the U.S. have Type 2 diabetes, and 79 million are at risk for pre-diabetes. The disease is more prevalent in African Americans and Hispanics: Some 11-12 percent have it, compared to 7 percent of whites.</p><p>People with Type 1 diabetes do not produce any insulin, whereas those with Type 2 diabetes have developed a resistance to insulin, usually because they are overweight. Both conditions produce an abundance of glucose, or sugar, in the blood.</p><p>In the early '90s, 5-6 million people had the disease.</p><p>"The burgeoning epidemic of obesity and a sedentary lifestyle have led to this epidemic," Schatz said.</p><p>"Too many calories and not enough exercise," added Kathryn A. Parker, the program manager for diabetes education and nutrition therapy at UF&Shands. The pancreas produces insulin, a hormone, to regulate the body's blood-sugar level. "Your pancreas has only so much insulin that it will produce. If you take in too many calories, the body wears out its 'pitching machine,'" said Parker, who compares the body's production of insulin to a baseball pitcher's capacity to pitch over a lifetime. The pitcher has to take periodic breaks just like the pancreas, Parker said.</p><p>But people who have grown up "super-sizing" are now being diagnosed with diabetes. "We're beginning to see the results of childhood obesity," Parker said. "This isn't an endocrine problem. It's a lifestyle problem."</p><p>At the screening, Parker displayed blood vials filled with sugar to show how much sugar is in a 12-ounce soda. While the tactic has worked to discourage people from certain dietary choices, Parker puts more emphasis on exercise for diabetes prevention.</p><p>"People who exercise use their insulin very efficiently," Parker said. "Exercise is the elixir. You don't have to run a marathon. Just get up and move a little more than you did yesterday."</p><p>Jenna Bilodeau, 19, a UF pre-med student, stopped by to get screened because she was diagnosed six months ago with hypoglycemia, a condition in which blood-sugar levels are too low. Bilodeau's blood sugar was normal Tuesday.</p><p>"I just ate a Snickers, so that probably helps," Bilodeau said, adding that diabetes runs in her family, so she pays even more attention to what she eats. "I eat a lot of couscous, veggies, apples and peanut butter."</p><p>While Type 2 diabetes is for the most part a preventable condition with lifestyle modification, Type 1 runs in families and is harder to prevent. Schatz said that if you have a relative with Type 1 diabetes, you have a 15-fold increase of getting it, compared with the general population. Type 1 diabetes also is increasing by about 3 percent per year in children under age 10, Schatz said. UF researchers are at the forefront of trying to understand risk assessment and prevention of Type 1 diabetes and will present some of their recent findings Friday morning at the Health Professions/Nursing/Pharmacy Complex.</p><p>UF will host three more screening events this week. Parker said she hopes to top the number of people -- 250 -- who got screened last year. She said it's particularly important to get the people who normally walk away.</p><p>"It's only a drop of blood and five seconds," she said, adding that people also can take a self-assessment card and consult their doctor if they are at high risk of diabetes.</p><p>To make diabetes awareness week more fun, organizers are hosting a hula hoop competition at 5 p.m. Wednesday.</p><p>"The symbol of diabetes awareness is a circle, and that's a hula hoop," Parker said. "It's exercise, and people need exercise."</p><p>Organizers also will light UF's Century Tower blue at dusk. City Hall, all fire stations and some area churches also will turn on a blue light to commemorate the day.</p>